1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a shutter assembly for protecting windows and the like of a building during severe weather storms.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Upon learning of an impending severe weather storm, it is common to provide for additional protection from broken glass and the like by taping, boarding or otherwise covering glass windows and doors of a residence or other building. Installing such known protection arrangements is generally time consuming. In some situations, such as commonly found in tropical areas, the advance warning time of such storms does not allow for full installation of such protection arrangements. Often, removing these protection arrangements require even greater lengths of time.
It has also been known heretobefore to hingely attach shutters on either side of a window or the like wherein the shutters could be pivoted to a position covering the window during severe storms. Once positioned across the window, the shutters are latched together. These types of protection arrangements, although superior to the other known arrangements discussed above especially with respect to a reduction in set-up time, have numerous shortcomings. For example, the shutters and the mounting hardware therefore require a fair amount of maintenance to assure adequate performance. In addition, the latches and additional hardware are prone to damage from various causes, including severe wind gusts, which results in a short working life and failure of the shutter arrangement, often when they are most needed. For these and other reasons, shutters are now often used on residential buildings for cosmetic purposes only.
Additional window guard assemblies have been introduced in attempts to overcome the problems associated with the prior art. Such assemblies are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,745,704 and 4,604,827. In each of these patented systems, auxiliary frame members are mounted about portions of a window and are adapted to selectively receive shutter panels. Unfortunately, mainly due to their construction, these known systems suffer from some of the drawbacks discussed above, are expensive to manufacture and are not aesthetically appealing.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a shutter assembly for use in protecting windows or the like during severe weather conditions that is economical to produce, aesthetically appealing, designed to have a long useful life and which requires little to no maintenance.